West of Forever (Heartstone Ranch #1)(69)

“Please do.”

She nods once. “The guys are here for about two years at this point with no signs of the smuggler. No one knows where they are or who they are. The one who is madly in love knows that the girl he loves is about to lose her land. It’s going to break her if it happens, so he decides…” She pauses dramatically. “To sell the first bar.”

“Stupid.”

“Right? Totally stupid. They think it’s fine, though, because they’re states away from California, no one knows who they are, and they drove a hundred miles west to sell the gold.”

“Always go east,” I joke.

“Are you going to be annoying through the whole story?” Lark asks.

I raise both hands. “Sorry, sweetheart. I’ll behave.”

“I doubt that, but I’ll finish because I hate a cliffhanger.” Lark pulls me farther down the road. “Legend has it that the girl he met here betrayed them. Apparently, she also worked for the smuggler, but no one knew that. He fell for the wrong girl, in the wrong place, and it cost him his life and the gold.”

“So why did the town collapse?” I ask, genuinely wanting to know.

“It’s said that when the thieves were killed, the heroine of the story lost her mind over his death. She was so angry that they took the love of her life that she shot the smuggler, her father, because he was apparently who forced her into it, and then took the gold and has never been seen again. The town collapsed because no one wanted to live here after the murders. It’s a sad story of things gone wrong in a small town.”

The way her smile widens as she looks around the town has me wondering whether she’s maybe a bit of a sociopath.

Then I remember it’s Lark and there’s not a mean or harmful bone in her body.

“That story is…terrifying.”

She turns back to me, rushing forward and wrapping her arms around my neck. “It’s a cautionary tale about loving a thief.”

I laugh. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Lark lifts up on her toes. “Good thing we never have to worry about that.”

No, because she’s already stolen the heart right from my very chest.









Chapter 28





Lark




After we leave the town of horrors, we’re nearing Infinity Ridge faster than I hoped.

I wish I could slow time. I wish I could make the seconds take longer, give us a chance to have more of this—the hand-holding, the kisses in public, the smiles and laughter without having to meet in secret.

I hate each mile passed. Each second gone. Every moment we are losing.

I reach my hand across the console and take his.

He looks over, smiles, and squeezes. “I had a great trip.”

“I did too.”

“Maybe we can figure out a way to do it again.”

I nod, hating the stupid flare of hope that lights my soul. I want a lot of agains. “I’d like that.”

“Me too, sweetheart. I liked having you in a bed.”

I laugh once. “That’s your takeaway?”

“The shower was good too.”

I roll my eyes. Such a guy answer. However, both were pretty damn amazing. “I thought the hot tub was the crown jewel.”

“I think you just like being outside.”

That is definitely not the case, but I can see why he’d think that. “I’m not so sure the bugs are my favorite, but it was more familiar.”

He lifts our entwined hands and kisses the back of mine. “I think after this weekend, we’re very familiar in a variety of ways.”

There are no lies detected there. We were overly familiar. The sheer intimacy that was built in just a day is kind of crazy. It felt like we were a couple. Hell, we looked like it too. At dinner, someone came up to tell us how cute we were. Which we totally are.

“But now we’re going to go back to pretending we hate each other,” I say, and even I can hear the sadness there.

“Lark…”

“No, don’t say anything. I know all the millions of reasons why. We’ve listed them ad nauseam already. I’m just saying it’s the way it is.”

I can’t even be mad at it all, because it’s mostly my fault that we have to be so secretive. Sure, his family doesn’t particularly like mine, but it’s my brothers and father who are hell-bent on making the Stones pay for whatever they feel they’re owed.

The constant calling of the cops. The never-ending amount of shit talking they do to anyone who will listen.

The town is divided, and we’re the ones driving the wedge further.

“I get it,” he says with understanding. “I’m going to pull in here and get gas. We’re still far enough out of town that it’ll be fine.”

“Okay. I’ll get snacks.”

Tristan pulls into the gas station and finds a pump. We both jump out, and I get about halfway to the door when he calls, “Lark?”

“Yeah?”

“Get me a Kit Kat.”

I grin. “Sure thing, cowboy.”

I turn.

He whistles.

I turn my head to see him over my shoulder.

He winks.